Thread by @Thriving_luos

JOHN ZANGI
This is the heartbreaking story of a gifted footballer who died before reaching the age of 30.
Zangi was a gifted footballer, the nephew of Private Hezekiah Ochuka, and a controversial man.
The story of how he got the nickname Zangi is as intriguing as the man himself

Kisumu was where Zangi spent his formative years. It was here that he got his moniker.
He was generally known in school as John Okello. Johnny Bokelo Isenge was a well-known Zairean musician at that time period.

As a result, his friends began to refer to him as Johnny Okello Isenge. When he relocated to Nairobi, the latter was duped by Umoja guys into thinking he was Zangi. His life was brief yet interesting. He had played for Kenya's two most historic teams while he was in his twenties.

Then something unexpected happened: at the age of 27, he stunned everyone by hanging his football boots. He was found dead a few months later. Football fans in Kenya may not associate the life of this great Gor Mahia and Harambee Stars star with the failed coup in August 1982

Wrap John 'Zangi' Okello in one and you'll understand why brilliant people die young. Many people were unaware of the man's past until he died.Before his death in 1992, he made football history by leaving Gor Mahia and joining arch-rivals AFC Leopards,

sparking an unprecedented outpouring of emotions between these two community clubs. That was John Okello, the man of many shocks.

Kenyans awoke on August 1, 1982, to a state of bewilderment. Kenya Air Force soldiers had gone on the rampage in an attempt to overthrow President Daniel Araap Moi's government. John Okello, a youthful 18-year-old residing in Nairobi's Umoja One Estate,

had just begun his life in the city, living with his uncle Hezekiah Ochuka. Ochuka, a soldier in the Kenya Air Force deployed in Eastleigh, owned a residence outside the barracks. This is also where his nephew John Okello lived.

Anyone who had seen young Zangi in Kisumu's Nyalenda can attest to his obsession with football.

While the other lads carried their books to school, he lugged his old football boots everywhere he went. He informed everybody who would listen how the paper bag contained something that he believed would change his life.

Indeed, after graduating from high school in 1981, he moved to Nairobi, where he was taken in by his uncle, Hezekiah Ochuka. Just a few years ago, at Kisumu Boys High School, youths from all over the city and country were dancing to Congolese musician Johny Bokello Isenge's hits.

Schoolmates awarded the brilliant John Okello the nickname 'Isenge' after the musician's last name. It was corrupted to 'Sengi' through time, and ultimately to 'Zangi'.
Zangi relocated to Nairobi in search of his fortune in football.

He was aware that he was gifted, as well as tried and tested. After a brief training spell with Iqbal FC in Nairobi, he naturally joined his neighborhood team Gor Mahia.He lived in Umoja One Estate with his uncle Hezekiah Ochuka.

Ochuka was a soldier with official quarters at the Eastleigh barracks. Ochuka, too, had bigger plans than developing an ambitious footballer.

As a result, Zangi had a field day in Umoja. The coup occurred in August 1982, and Ochuka was captured. Kenya Army soldiers allegedly went to the Umoja and chased out John Zangi Okello and his cousin Harun Owuor before ransacking the house a few days after the attempted coup.

The unexpected turn of events left Zangi helpless and saddened. He took it all in stride and drowned his emotions in football.
Zangi was a gifted young guy who Gor Mahia had never seen before. He could control the middle with precision and bravery.

Okello was nicknamed 'Zing-Zang' by certain fans due to his ability to sprint with the ball, halt, look the other way, and turn in precise angles. The crowd preferred his 360-degree turn. He could turn midway and pass the ball in any direction, putting his opponents in a trance

He did exactly that in the Senior CECAFA final against Kenya and Zimbabwe in 1983. In a one-two formation, he threw the ball to a teammate and pretended to receive it, but it slipped between his knees and into the path of a charging JJ Masiga.

JJ's blockbuster enthralled the audience at Nyayo Stadium. Zangi came on as a substitute but scored the game-winning goal in a 1 - 0 victory. Harambee Stars won the Senior CECAFA triple thanks to Zangi's deception on his debut.

Zangi was a member of the Harambee Stars team that visited Brazil in 1988. The Kenyan team's top player, according to the local press.
Because he got too opinionated, the youngster had run-ins with Gor Mahia officials.

He couldn't stand what he saw as unfairness and player exploitation.
He was among the players who had previously been suspended following allegations of bribery and match-fixing.

The dazzling midfielder was destined for ruin and death. Some saw the long arm of government, others saw witchcraft. Some thought juju was at work. Others accused Gor Mahia fans who they claimed had bewitched Zangi after he showed them the middle finger.